Positive report-back

Hey all! I joined 7cups back in 2017 when I was 16 years old. I am now 22.

Back when I was 16, I had been cutting for about two years. Now, I have been completely self-harm free for 3.5 years, and mostly self-harm free for 5 years. Relapses happened at the beginning, but I'm confident in saying I will never relapse again. I am similarly mostly recovered from anorexia.

Sadly, I think you will never escape being emotionally triggered by self-harm images, or the talk of SH. But it absolutely does get easier, and it's a healing process. I legitimately thought I would never stop self-harming. I also never thought I would live this long. I had to recover on my own, with no access to mental health services, which I recommend to absolutely no one.

I'm in graduate school now, and I actually made it through undergrad even though I almost flunked out multiple times. I may not make it through graduate school, but I'm in a healthy enough place that the possibility of failure is okay. I have a loving partner who makes me feel safe. I am living on my own (on a tight budget, but in a different state from my abusive family). I put up some nice curtains the other day, and got excited to make a really *** cheesecake!

I'm not cured of my mental health issues, and likely never will be. That's okay, and something I have come to terms with. I'm finally making decisions that prioritize my mental health such as staying off of social media (for the most part), living as an openly queer/trans person, and eating plenty of good food.

If people want to ask me questions, I'd be glad to answer. For the most part, though, I wanted to make this post to give some light to those who may feel trapped.